SORRY?BUT?IT can’t be and shouldn’t be business as usual on the new track at the National Stadium.
I mean it can’t continue be a place for all comers, at all times, as was the case in the past.
The authorities must regulate much better how and when the track is to be used to ensure that it runs the average lifeline of about five to six years and remain in relatively good condition during this period.
The previous tracks were overworked as anyone on any given day could just decide to turn up at the Stadium and go on the track whether they were wearing the correct shoes or not.
Some, of course, may have done so out of ignorance not knowing that a certain type of spike would damage the surface through tearing.
Naturally, over time conditions would deteriorate and could contribute to some of the injuries sustained by athletes.
It could be that the free-for-all approach adopted by the authorities was done with good intentions as we have very limited facilities of this type and it may have been seen in some cases as even a safe place for the average person to exercise as part of their recreational activities.
The question also arises whether established track clubs need to train their athletes at the stadium on a regular basis. That can be answered by the fact that they have all found alternative venues whenever the Stadium has been out of bounds for various reasons.
Let them continue in this vein because working out at the Stadium may not always have a lot to do with how athletes might perform in competition.
WIBISCO Stars, under the leadership of top coach Jerston Clarke, haven’t used the Stadium as a training base but have still tasted plenty of success in track and road events through the years.
We can even cite the performance of the CARIFTA team in the Bahamas this year as perhaps the perfect example to support my point.
Still, the state must consider and evaluate the needs of the citizenry to maintain balance and civility, so there might be a need to have additional warm-up training facilities within the environs of the Stadium so that the track can be used exclusively for competition.
My bias in this cause is for the serious athletes who must be provided with a comfort zone if it will assist them in a way that puts them in the right shape prior to competing.
On the other hand, I don’t see why those who use the track merely for recreational purposes should be there just to keep fit.
I could be wrong but I don’t think that there’s any other stadium in the world that allows free access to people on a daily basis just to train.
National stadiums are used for very special occasions and while ours may not qualify for that kind of exclusivity because we don’t have many alternatives, efforts can still be made to reserve it mainly for meets.
I believe there’s a possibility that the stadium track may get more rest than in the past because the Ryan Brathwaite Track at Cave Hill can share some of the regular events and championships in the future.
We clamour for more facilities but one of the things we don’t do so well is maintain them as well as we should when we get them. I think we take things for granted and adopt “don’t-carish” attitudes when things are funded from the public purse.
We are frequently reminded that we should treat Government property as if it was our very own. Little do we realize that we are shooting ourselves in the foot because funds used to erect public facilities come from the taxes most of us have to pay.
I want to suggest that our current economic woes put everything into perspective because if money is tight, it means we have to be more vigilant and more careful about how we treat the things we are able to get.
The new track at the Stadium falls into this context so I think the powers that be have to try to safeguard this investment by restricting the use of it to John Public.
• Andi Thornhill is an experienced, award-winning freelance sports journalist. Email andithornhill1@gmail.com